The Tale of Aeria
by MissCapucine
Summary: ..AU.. Aeria was utopia. It held peace between all the mythical creatures you could imagine. But when little creatures hidden beneath the shadows drive that peace to damnation, at what cost will a mere human fight to restore Aeria? Not to mention the scheming, although cunning man whom haunts her to no end..
1. Preface

[Starting Author's Note]

Greetings friends. This is my first fanfic so bear with me here, please have mercy! I hope you enjoy reading my story (I already have 8 chapters finished and ready to update but I'll see how this preface goes)! Guys, I've been watching Lord of the Rings recently and I have to say, I REALLY like fantasy. Kill me now. Hehe, i'm kidding. Avert your eyes my friends and read on! R&R.

P.S.: While writing this I was listening to "Preparation" by COLTEMONIKHA. I honestly think you should loop the short song while reading it. It's just so...fitting. Oh, another suggestion "Lullaby" by Lee Byung Woo (or search 'A Tale of Two Sisters OST Lullaby' or some shit like that). Or or or... Cold Hands, also from The Tale of Two Sisters. Or... "Luna Piena" by Shikata Akiko.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

[ Ending Author's Note ]

| Preface |

In the land of immortals, there is the kind-hearted, the good, the one whom mean well, and there are the cynical lords of damnation called of the east. Yes, it's just like every fantasy you have dreamed of when you're being told a bed time story. Yet most of these dreams are true in Aeria, have you ever wondered what the eyes of the beholder had seen? It's quite an adventure, you see...

For the ones that keep the peace alive, you have your helpful little women flaunting their gleaming wings, the undersea women of mischief that will gladly entertain you with their muse, the beast tamers with their humorous quarreling, the very-well-alive porcelain dolls with pointed ears who heal only when asked, the winged angels that heal our woes and many _many _more races who will happily aid you into the pursuit of happiness.

Then, there are the neglected and banished creatures of the east. Neglected from love, friendship, loyalty. This place was a world of deceit all on it's own accord. If you were to search for a bad apple, you would find plenty on the east side of Aeria. There are the sniveling little thieves masked in the dark, the batwinged men who only serve those with pain, and the never-to-be trusted courtesans whom claw and twist at your beating heart. There are more pain-bearers scattered all around in the deepest and darkest corners of the earth. But, that would scythe your heart to hear their twisted mutters and ludicrous reasonings.

It's an interesting story to tell, Aeria wasn't always so split on the moral compass. There was a time when everyone joyed in harmonies and held events where all races gathered in serenity. Yet, the council of Aeria had failed to notify everyone. The council never really did learn that it's the little things in life that mattered. Those 'little things' are the ones who live in the east of Aeria. Those 'little things' are called imps.

Imps love to be involved, they love to play with the other races, they love attention. All the imps were family towards one another, yet if one was neglected. Trouble was to stir, no doubt about it. Especially since they were the messengers of the East. They gossip, they maniuplate if angered. In their defense, they may as well "play with the truth". That was what led to 700 years of war.

700 years of pain, grief and sorrow. Also, 700 years of races pushed through damnation. It seems silly to think of it as "War attempted due to angry little imps uninvited to party of splendor!", No.. No... It was more so a trust thing. One distrust led to another and another and another yet another. That so-called Aeria was a paradise at first born, then it had to grown colder and beyond depressing. Evidence? The East.

Oh yes, but there was also one race we had not mentioned. They play a huge part in this marvelous history, or at least for one girl. They were much smaller creatures, they never minded anyone's business but their own kind. They were fair in love and war. In general, they weren't kind-hearted nor cold-blooded. They acted upon what would be deemed "appropriate" often. But that didn't mean everyone in their race was alike! After all, they were only _human_.

Caught up in all this war lay a fair maiden that went from a pipsqueak to the noble maiden who restored peace. She won through it all with her gentleness, patience and empathy. It really was what they call "Girl Power". But the war couldn't single-handedly end with just a single person. No, it took more. It took everything she loved.

* * *

_"Lady Hinata.." A voice in the dark loomed from the floorboards._

_Little light seeped into the cracks as the creature scrambled it's way into the corner away from the sunshine. "Curse you, you vile woman!"_


	2. Chapter 1

[Starting Author's Note]

Greeting my little humans. I feel like I left the Preface in an awkward spot. I think it should have been a little bit longer. I hate how you have so many ideas jumbled in the back of your head that you rush to type down everything so it makes sense and in the end...You're still disatisfied because you're missing a lot of your ideas. That makes sense, yes?

Oh yeah.. So, apparently 'The Tale of Aeria' name is taken by something. Dang it, I thought I was being original but I was way off. I might as well have named it 'The Tale of Syria', right? Unless that's taken too...Kill me now. Just kidding, but actually.. I was pretty pissed when I googled my fanfic's title and it wasn't the first 5 things listed. Ffffuuu!  
**  
Disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto.

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| The Start of a Journey |

.:.::.::.:.

The clean and refreshing breeze picked up the peridot-colored leaves with in a twirl. A smile had crept upon my face, sighing as I fell on my back onto the cool grass. So...beautiful this place.

The sunshine leaking in between the petals of what stood tall oak trees. The crystal water flowing downstream with rare colored watercress plants and lotuses. Spring finally arrived and so did my studies floriology. I loved how flowers scented the air with their sweetness. It's a shame many did not appreciate the little things in life. Without these little buds of life, the world wouldn't be so colorful.

The area I had come for 18 years now never failed to displease me. It was comforting, stress-relieving, lively and above all...My home. Nothing beats the comfort of your own home. Well, it wasn't really MY home. It was Aeria's home and nature's masterpiece. This was just a special place, this is what lit the darkness.

Wanting to kill time, I scoped the area for any signs of odd displacements. Nope. Nothing! An 18 year streak of perfection was truly bliss and was one of my 7 wonders of Aeria. I've been scolded many times by Father for running away to here, he always sent me to the library. I obey him like a good child, after all, he is my caretaker but then again.. The smell of old books never really appealed to me so I would gather books and come to this blessedness. I'd rather surround myself around my own studies than study it from this so-called pieces of paper that have been outdated. I guess you can say I am a hands-on type of person?

Falling short of energy, I closed my eyes as a light butterfly tickled my nose. In no more than half an hour, I easily slipped into slumber.

* * *

_Thud...Thud...Thud.._

I batted my lashes open.. The sun was about to go down. Dusk. Just how long had I been asleep? It must have been as little as 4 hours. The pink and purple sky spellbound my eyes. If only this beauteous sky wasn't so short-lived. The night wasn't particularly as bad but it never beat dawn or daylight.

_Thud...Thud...Thud.._

Hmm? Do I have a headache or is the earth shaking on me? Perhaps this was a dream! I winced as I pinched myself. Nope, I was definitely awake.

_Thud...Thud...Thud.._

My heart slowly started to race. What is this macabre feeling? My special place never moved me into these emotions before. Unknowingly, my breathing became heavier and saw smoke arise overhead trees. My village!

_Thus...Thud...Thud.._

A villainous smell raided across my senses. It seemed to grow more and more severe by the second. Foul grunts resonated through the woods around me. I tried to resist crying and forced myself to stay calm but my body defied against me. Just what the hell was going on? I was neither physically or mentally prepared for any of this. Was this an invasion? Or some sick joke?

Only 70 paces away I heard the clanking of metal. Armor. With snickering falling not too short behind. Hastily, I deliberately jumped into the bushes closest to me. This was the best option for immediate coverage.

If only nightfall actually **fell **sooner on her, maybe her features wouldn't pop out so much. Afterall, her skin was as white as snow and her eyes were as pearly as the full moon. Fortunately, the sound of metal that had pounded into each other and marching had stopped.

What do I do? Investigate? Make a run for home? If she still had a home... Feeling apprehensive, she climbed from the bushes and surveyed her surroundings. A little orb of orange light had flickered on and off from where she heard the marching and stomping. These invaders were still here! Poor men or whatever they were...They had complications starting a fire. How sad.

She paced herself back and forth figuring out what she is supposed to or should do, at the same time calming herself. To be frank, this whole mess was very trying.

"Beat it, dumbfuck! Because of you, we burned a whole village down. The _**wrong **_village!" A high-pitched voice rised from the shadows.

So they _did _raid her village...They burned it down actually.. Did any of her kind survive? Did they escape successfully? She listened in closely and realized the squacking voices to be approaching her area. She quickly hid behind a thick tree, the bushes had already molded into her form inside in which left a gap. It would be obvious to make her be seen.

"Fuck you pit-sniffer, you know better to meddle with I! After all, no one speaks the truth...anymore. Have you not learned?" A more profound voice spoke. Was that actually his name?

But yes.. What this creature of the dark speaks the whole truth. No one ever does speak the truth. Even if one did, no one would genuinely believe it. Such a shame, really.

"You're just lucky _**he **_hadn't skinned you alive and marinate you like a piece meat to serve us!"

"Please, we have enough captives to boil and grill from that dreadful little village."

She bit her tongue roughly to calm herself. But the thought of her family behind held as prisoners...or _food _was morbid! She gingerly climbed the tree and hugged the tree with her bottom on a branch like a koala in stillness.

They approached the water and I had finally seen their faces. My, they weren't very pretty creatures. They almost looked like goblins but how was she to know?

One was tiny with a dull olive green skin tone. His voice was high-pitched and raspy. His face looked almost as if they were smushed together. The other one had sloppy features with a murky-green colored skin tone and was much larger. One eye was placed higher than the other with a slight slant downwards. The poor guy appeared as if someone had punched his faces repeatedly to get it like that. Quite rashly at that! It was so deformed..I almost felt pitiful for him. At least he didn't have a gravelly voice. His was much deeper, but it made him sound...what shall I say? Unsmart? Lacking in intelligence? Yes. That. And his appearance wasn't helping him one bit!

"Bull. Shit. We barely have enough captives to last us more than a few days."

The more screaky one snickered violently "Yes! Bull-shit! That's what your hideous face looks like!" He laughed...or screeched. I wanted to cover my ears desperately but I wouldn't know whether they would pace in my direction. "You're one to talk!" The larger one snapped.

It wasn't too long until the the larger one pounced on the small annoyance and submerged his head in the water until his body went limp. I hugged the tree in my armers tighter. Just what am I seeing! Just who in the right mind would do this? To a comrade! They almost seemed like bickering friends but I guess my assumption was far, very far from the truth!

Feeling squeamish, I turned my head in disgust and terror. Never had I stumble upon such impure acts upon another live being before! Not even with animals...

A large plop in the river resonated through the whispering woods. The "deed" was done. She gulped and looked down at the...ogre? Should she say?

He was crying.  
But why? Did he feel guilty? Maybe he meant well but couldn't control his emotions. I always believed people mean well, even the baddest of the bad. Maybe this ogre wasn't so bad...Right? But then again, he just killed a member of this little army.

A loud screech from the other side of the woods echoed into the right as birds had seemed to fly from the area. What the hell was that?  
I looked back at the ogre who rushed back to the fiery orb.

"THE BEAST TAMERS ARE COMING! ALERT EVERYONE!"

Beast...tamers?


	3. Chapter 2

[Starting Author's Note]

Greetings, loves. I'm pretty satisfied with the last chapter. Was the bit about the ogre crying unneccesary? Hmm.. I thought it was necessary. Anyhow, onwards folks!

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| The Fall |

The fiery pit that was the only source of heat within the area was quickly put out, but before then more orbs of orange light grew. What was going on? These...These beast tamers already found out their location from the smoke of their pit. The best option for them was to put it out and retreat! Why burn more wood, these maleficent ogres! They are harming my precious forest!

Within a blink of an eye fire balls had been thrown into the air, skyrocketing down like meteors. One just happened to land on the trunk of the tree I had clung onto. They were burning the forest to stall the beast tamers! The sizzling heat had a detrimental effect on my heart. They burn my village and now they burn all the felicity I had left! What more would they take from me?

. . . Oh. That's right, they couldn't take anything else because I am left with nothing. It's amazing. Right when you didn't have a care in the world, everything you held dear to you is destroyed within several hours right in front of you.

From the top of my head, dying with my beloved forest had sound much better than to see it burn in hell. It's not like I'll return to loving arms. But my mind had one of it's own. I will be remedy to nature. I will restore everything that is mine by putting a cessation to these filthy acts. Am I being foolish? I suppose it's safe to say that, but Aeria has been in turmoil too long now! And it's been aching my heart since the moment I recieved noticed about this war. Just 15 years ago...

I looked around me as the smoke seemed to grow thicker by the minute. My special place had an abundant of trees and now it's burning alive... I jumped off the tree with stealth and roamed away from the dancing fires.

Sweat trickled down my face as my eyes drooped heavily. My vision blurred and soon enough I was seeing double. Refusing to be knocked out by the element of fire, I dove into the river. The crystal clear water had reflected the nightfall upon itself. The water was beyond freezing! My body tempture dropped 20 degrees almost, if not immediately!

As I flowed down the stream, I realized I had to act fast because I heard a rumbling sound not too few yards from me. The river water suddenly rushed at a much faster rate. Since when was there a waterfall here? I knew it was all downhill but I didn't think there would be a massive 1000 feet drop! Before getting myself together, it was too late. My heart dropped to a sudden stop. I was already falling to my death and it seemed to go on endlessly as I closed my eyes. Letting my last tear trickle.

_Splash!_

Oh angels in Heaven...  
Please be merciful.  
**Spare me.**


	4. Chapter 3

[Starting Author's Note]

Greetings fellow readers! I loved writing the last chapter. I think I kinda rushed the ending of the chapter but otherwise I'm pretty satisfied with what I've written. There's a lot that's happened to Hinata these past couple days on Aeria huh? Well, there's more to come! Onwards to "Mercy, Please"

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| Mercy, Please. |

.:.::.::.:.

Was I dead? I sure felt like I was but I wasn't. Little by little, my eyes fought to creak open. My body floated in the midst of this murky green water. It's so dark... And cold. Light had cast over my head. Air. Panicking, I scrambled to the surface, almost losing my breath entirely. I casted myself to a solid wall, the pressure of the falling water almost pulling me under. Quickly, I struggled to climb over the solid, eyes still shut.

Slipping, I stumbled to the side of this cave I discovered. It was pitch black, just like the cruel hearts of the creatures that stole my normal living from me. Curling myself into a ball, I weeped the night away. I haven't cried in so many years, the few tears only turned to waterfalls.

* * *

Light hovered over my eyes as I awoke from sleep. My body had ached and I had many untreated cuts but I didn't mind since they weren't serious. Steadily, I played with the ground. This cave was interesting. Caves are dark and cold, sometimes even humid! Most of all, caves are rocks all over. Although this cave _was _cold _and _had minimal light, it had a teal-like sand all over.

To compensate for my loneliness and misery, I drew my special place. The river flowing here... The beautiful flowers all around, the fairy circle off the the side, the towering trees surrounding all around. My fingers stopped as drop by drop, water distorted my piece. I wiped my tears from my face as I held my head down. I thought drawing would make me happy, but it just reminded me of the horrific reality.

My mom had always told me not to play in the dark but right now it just seemed **right**.

In the midst of silence, enchanting tunes and humming traveled all around the cave. Finding myself pulled under this spell, I walked down deeper and deeper into the cave. I couldn't see a thing, it was pitch black but the hums of what sounded like women guided me. It wasn't too long until I reached an alluring glow of teals, purples and pink gleaming around the cave.

Such beautiful jewels embedded into the cave. Distracted, the hums had stopped.  
I heard a waterfall nearby, just around the bend. Hesitently stepping closer, harmonic instruments filled the room. Seaweed draped over the end of this cave. Slowly and carefully I crouched to my knees, crawling to peek at the sight.

Wow...Such a beautiful place! Mysterious yet exotic flowers bloomed just around the corner. Large fruitful trees which perfumed the air had lured me inside. The music had dimmed almost inaudible. Taking my time to admire the beauty of this area, I was tackled downwards upon impact.

"W-what the..!" I looked up, rubbing my eyes. Immediately my eyes had grown bigger. There stood this little puff ball in intricate designs of baby pinks and blues. It's large beady eyes had captivated me. It's so...cute.. Just where did he come from?

"HEY! YOU LITTLE PEST! GET BACK HERE!" A loud voice boomed. A woman. A very young and aggressive woman at that. Rustling from the bushes came a beautiful woman with...very little clothing. Almost no clothing at all! Her breasts and lady parts were barely covered by teal scallops, that nearly matched her aquamarine eyes. The scallops peeked from beneath her matching fringed skirt and what-looked-like-a-bandeau. As well as having long, lucious blonde locks held into a high ponytail. She had such long bangs. It's as if she had never cut them..

The small creature jumped off me and circled the lady, she had almost stepped on him! Barely but surely. Aggressively she clenched her hands on the creature, making it squeal and jerk in agony.

"S-stop! You're hurting the poor thing!" I exclaimed, jumping from the ground and approached the lady. She appeared to be my age... She was very beautiful with her sculpted features.

She blew her bangs from her face and gazed at my face in curiosity. She seemed to tense up as a result of the creature collapsing in her hands.

"U-uhm.." I pointed at the little guy. The blondie quickly rushed the creature to a cyan glowing lake as well as pulling me along with out a word. She toss the creature into the lake and dove in, pulling me under. Her once bare legs had closed together to form a fin and looked at me with shock as she examined me from my legs to my face respectively.

I was almost running out of breath so the the woman held me in her arms, swimming me to the surface. There, I gasped for air and coughed the water out from my mouth.

"Little girl, how did you come here. You are not a lady of finesse and fine arts..."  
She extended her thin arm out to me. Her delicate fingers cupped my chin, forcing me to look into her sharp eyes of wit. She averted her eyes, checking to see if anyone was around. Yes, there were but on the far end of the patches of flowers and fruit trees.

"I..I don't know. I just followed the music from the cave."

"...Music?" She snapped her hand from mine. Muttering something to herself, I couldn't make out what it was... Was it "this can't be true"..?

Again, she grasped my hands in hers she pressed her legs together and pushed me into the shallow part of the lake.

"Take a deep breath when before your head is submerged into water. I will reach for your hand, we're going for a little swim in the deeper part of the water. Whatever you do, do _not _let go of my hand and keep on moving your legs up and down or else you will die. Trust me, I have seen it before little girl. Do not fret, this will only take a while and you will breathe again as long as you heed to my warnings."

Unsure and determined to not die, I did as she had told. She never said I had to look. She is my guide after all.. All I have to do is move my legs and hold my breath...  
But for how long..?

The feminine eyes that stared had never left me. I mustered up all the air I could hold and quickly submerge my body in the lake, diving along with this mermaid. Opening my eyes, all I saw was glowing sand beneath with lotuses planted at the very bottom. It was so far away from me... Just like the lotuses from my special place.

I miss my special place.

* * *

Deeper and deeper we swam, this lady was really rushing although tall seaweed had sprouted from the bottom. We zipped through the kelp forest as fast as we could, that was until something slippery got caught on my ankle.

My hand slipped from my guide who immediately turned around with anger, her face boiling red. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" She sprung forward pulling me from this know but I couldn't budge. This kelp was too strong and it seemed to squeeze tighter by the minute! It was like I was being held as a prisoner!

The girl glanced at my ankle and panicked. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy face, yet she forced herself to keep a calm composure. She formed a bubble filled with air as much as she could in her palms and it immediately attached over my mouth and nose.

"Careful, I don't have large hands so this is as much air as I can give you. Use wisely, child." She said, trying to cut the kelp from my ankle with sharpened shells she carried around her waist.

Even if she had freed me, my leg had already gone numb! And it was cold, I felt nothing.

Again, we resumed zipping through the end of the kelp forest yet my air bubble had popped due to the impact. I didn't even have a share at taking a deep breath. I already caused enough trouble, I will not make this a longer journey than this lady had originally intended it to be.

Hinata's energy swept low as her legs stopped functioning to the mermaid's commands. The blond beauty scowled and looked back to find an unconcious Hinata. A little irritated that this girl was so weak, she rushed herself even more. Just a few more minutes and we'll get to _them_.

* * *

There it was! The glass tunnel. If only the girl was concious to see the sight, if she were pleased with how the surface looked in Mermaid's realm then she would be more than please to see this sight. Coral reefs scattered all over the place in luminous colors with sand sparkling. The tunnel was wrapped with vines that held a rare flower with a bejeweling effect against light.

Lightly, she approached the doors of the tunnel which led into the a much grander set of doors.

"It's been a long time Ino, and you've brought a friend.." A deep, feminine voice resounded around them.

"Yes Lady Tsunade. This girl... She claimed to hear the forgotten music that was never heard in _years_. It hasn't been long since she passed out, we must get her to the medics immediately!"

The tunnel's gold embellished doors opened for her as she quickly rushed to the large oak doors embedded against the solid rock walls.

"My, what a small child. For what purpose does she stumble upon this realm?"

"Lady, it is better to treat this sweetness before questioning, yes?" A bubblegum-haired sprite zipped around her cheeks.

"I suppose you're right Sakura. Go on, treat her sweet pea. Notify me when she has healed."

The pink sprite zoomed around, ordering Ino to place her on a mattress of kelp for the lengthy healing process. Usually creatures of the undersea had no trouble healing. The beast tamers who have gashes look at it as mere cuts. The angels never really 'hurt'. Gnomes were immune to being hurt, after all, they always get scratched up for digging in the dirt be it gossip or literal dirt! But this... Humans really were weak creatures. Weren't they? Sakura frowned in disappointment.


	5. Chapter 4

[Starting Author's Note]

Greeting lovelies! I realized how much I love starting a new chapter. Changing the font and what not. I just feel so...alive. Is that what fanfic publishers usually feel like? Hmph.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| The Lords |

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Emotions ran deep through her veins, planting itself into her head. She had been dreaming, often nightmares. She would sweat consistently and her head would heat up 5 degrees per what-seemed-like-minutes. Oh good gravy, was this human and odd one. She had only drowned after all! How hard was it to recover? The inchling pouted nonchantly. All she had to do was clear her airway of any muck and use a little this and that! Poof, you're done! The pink sprite stared at her with disinterest. She didn't want to treat her anymore. After treating everyone but humans, she had begun to lose her patience.

"How is she holding up?" Ino plucked the pinky from the side of the bed.

"She is taking too long! I'm running out of patience. How can humans be so fragile? They are inevitably useless! I can see why they like to keep to themselves!" She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Hinata. Ino beetle-browed at Sakura's ignorance. If ignorance was bliss, then she should have might as well be the happiest little piece of work on Aeria!

She lightly tapped the small pixie which was almost like a big ol' punch to the small inchling.

She winced in pain as she slapped her harasser on the nose violently. At first it had always came off as cute but now it was plain irritating. "Sakura! Enough." A heavy voice ordered from the fountain. Tsunade crossed her arms from her fountain as her fin splashed water on them. Missing them only slightly. Poor Sakura would be dead if large amounts of water charged at her. Ino would just take it as it was, but secretly she'd be pissed.

"Sakura...You do recall a time of peace, that means humans joined in the fun with us creatures of water and you pixies. Yes?"

Sakura nodded, confirming the ugly truth. Humans were always helpful when asked. They were modest folks who didn't involve themselves with other races. But one incident some baby humans were traveling in the forest and happened to wreck the pixie villages. They didn't mean to, pixies _are _small after all. "Even so.." She averted her eyes from Tsunade to Hinata with eyes bearing pain. "They were the ones who destroyed my home.."

A moment of silence hung through the air but Tsunade's heavy sigh broke through "They didn't destroy it! Even if they did, these species do not mean harm. Besides, those filthy imps of the East revolutionized to get where we are today..."

"Oh yeah? But isn't that just another false truth?" Sakura's eyes beamed with tears, hesitating to speak up once more "Because of where we are now, everyone has their own belief. Face it, we are stubborn beings with a mind of our own. If everyone truly believed imps started the whole mess, then why aren't we gathering together to protect one another and fight against the East? Or the imps, rather? We could knock them easily." She clenched her fists, her pink wings slowly dimmed. Her cherry blossom color had greyed and Ino rushed to comfort her with a rub on the cheek, whispering her to rest herself.

"Because.. It was so sudden. The sudden fall of the council. You need someone to blame and gossip flies around villages faster than the speed of light." Ino muttered. Tension expanded and made the room feel larger, each woman sighing at the ugly truth. Little did they know that their patient was listening in on it all.

Even to her dismay, she had trouble accepting the truth. They..._We_, were still in this war. Maybe not in it but they were for sure stuck in the middle. Because she was human, she only tasted true war until now. From the burning of her home, to the serenity burned alive and now she's being treated for nearly drowning to death. It was quite some adventure these past couple days. From relaxing to nearly burning alive and falling to her death. Not to mention the drowning!

"I know you're awake, child." Tsunade pulled herself out of her fountain. She layered herself with a plum blossom robe and approached Hinata's bedding whom sat up from her recovery.

"Listen sweet child, how did you stumble upon this domain? And why?"

Hinata stared puzzled and had troubled collecting all her emotions together. So much had happened in such short time. All of a sudden too! "..So much as happened within these past days, you see... One solar noon I was studying and basking in Spring's glory and then _dusk_...I heard _creatures_. I _saw _them. They lit a fire pit in my woods and a screech was heard across the woods from us. Then...They burned the forest down. I escaped...Fell off a waterfall, climbed into the cave. I wept myself to sleep and then... I heard women's voices. They were humming melodious tunes!"

Tsunade, unmoved, was lost for words and stared at the girl. With a firm voice she asked what she heard. Hinata uncomfortably hummed the tunes then the pillars that stood next to Tsunade's fountain had gleamed with writing paved over. "Thank you Hinata.. It's been so long since the lords of the seas had appeared before me. It's about time they see Aeria in it's condition" She lightly pet her on the head with praise and approached the gleaming lights, translucent figures in simple robes appeared before her. Lords of the water..

* * *

"Little lamb who sits on the bed of kelp, would you please step forward?" A eerie voice pierced into her. It was woman's voice layover a man's. It was so haunting, so fascinating, simply enchanting. And had sound strangely similar to the voices from the cave.

Ino escorted Hinata to the lords and kneeled before them, Hinata followed after like a little pup. She peeked up to see the glowing figures to be looking at her with gentle eyes.

"Name?"

"H-Hinata.." She stared into those ghostly eyes. Just a hint of peridot lay in each of their eyes.

"Aeria is nearing rock bottom.. I can see there's been quite some changes these past years, _needless_ changes" The figures multiplied and surrounded Hinata as they lay a hand on her head.

Hinata covered her head with her hands, squeezing tight. Her mind which was once at peace had started to pound into a migraine. Broken whimpers escaped from her mouth as her head begun to spin in all directions. All she heard was the pounding of her head. What were they doing? She peeked up at the figure that stood way over her in fear. Those once gentle eyes had turned frigid and solid as a rock. But their touch was light. The lord covered her eyes telling her to close she did, but for what?

_Immediately, the nostalgic rivers and sunshine repeated in her head. She seemed to have hovered over the air, looking down on Aeria. There was so much love as you saw the pixie villages plucking herbs from gardens. You saw synchronized swimming of mer-people along the river banks. The council had been restored! Or...No.. She understood what she was looking at. This was the lead up to the war._

_Circling around the well-missed sunlight, an explosion of smoke erupted...from the East. As I traveled more east, I saw more creatures of the good retreating back to their homes as their screeches populated the area. As I neared, the smell of burning flesh and fire had become stronger. Shadow beasts retreated into the pond, distorted faces scrambled inside their poorly built homes, bulky ogres and goblins lay dead all over the East's open fields. Heat excreted from the Earth, burning more than half the faces of the dead soldiers. This place was dark and even some graves were desecrated from peace. No sun to relieve these creature's inked hearts. Death was written all over the borders of the East. And cruelty seemed to seal their fate._

And for some reason, it felt like Death was out to get me. He wanted to seal mine too.


	6. Chapter 5

[Starting Author's Note]

Greetings mortals! So, if you were a little lost towards the end of the last chapter, the water lords were giving a quick image recap of Aeria before the war and in the midst of it and we're going to begin the chapter still looking at the damage of Aeria on the East.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| The Cloaked Shadow |

.:.::.::.:.

_Scream._

_Scream.  
_

_Scream.  
_

_My angel..._

_A waterfall of ruby blood glistened against the full moon, gradually draining into the color of onyx. The smell of infuriating blood defied the sense of taste and smell, wanting to vomit. Bodies of trolls were pinned against the trees by vines bearing thorns. Their dried blood silently flaking from their bodies as maggots had feast on their skin._

_Every step walked upon, a sticky black gel would recede in between your toes. It was a nightmare in itself and the stench was horrible. I felt vomit stirring up within me, but I wouldn't allow myself commit to unclean acts before the lords!_

_A vicious growl echoed through the leafless trees and mocking moon. A looming figure appeared before me. Taken by surprise and realizing I hadn't been paying attention, a breath knotted in my through. I slowly backed away, ignoring the gel in between my toes and turned my back only to be pulled from the ends of my hair by this...this..thing!_

_It wasn't a shadow beast.. It was a man, clearly. Rough hands pinned me down into the bed of the unfathomable ground. Scarlet hair and ivory-white skin had peeked from the depths of his black hooded cloak. His hair was a little bit long, at least his bangs were. I couldn't see what lay under them. Just what kind of eyes had he possessed?_

_I fought the tears that stung the corners of my eyes and__attempted to worm my way out of his grasp but his hands seemed to harden onto me more, digging his nails through my skin. I just wanted to get out of this nightmare!_

"T-Tsunade..Tsunade! They're hurting her! Just look at her wrists, there are dents! And she's convulsing with fear" Ino whispered to Tsunade firmly. Sakura shuddered as Hinata's scream filled the room. So much pain she was going through. Just what was she seeing, Sakura had wondered...

_The man dipped his head close to my neck, nuzzling me closely. A sharp hiss traveled up my neck only to startle me into more tears. A wet tongue explored the side of my neck and up my cheek. Feeling weakened, I cried with the blurry image of red tangly hair. Leaning in closely to my lips topaz irises and his black sclera stared into mine as he chuckled._

_"Scream..My love..." A devious smirk curved up his face._

_He roughly tried to press his lips against mine but I was one step ahead of him as I turned my head from him, staring at the maggots who were ravaging on the troll. Half flesh, half bones. "N-no..!" Quickly, I bit his chin far enough so my teeth left red markings._

_He growled and thrashed my arms together in a split second, quickly holding both my hands in one. His nails dug into the sides of my cheek and forced me to stare into his angered eyes. "Now..Now my naughty love, that wasn't smart. No, not smart at all.." He slurred, his teeth bit into my cheek lightly, growling once more. "Reveal me and you will suffer greater pain than these trolls you see here, love. I don't want those weaklings trailing on my ass" He snickered wildly as he stared at me with craze._

_There, he released me in that cold night of the east to lament. Curling up, I shed tears. Recalling those eyes, I met Death. Death who wanted much more than I can give, let alone imagine. But what?_

Gasping for air, I dropped to my hands and cradled myself on the ground. Emotions were useless as of now but my body only composed of fear in those minutes of silence, huddled up to myself. The man who marked me was out for me and he was to seal my destiny yet I had nothing wrong to deserve this. Why couldn't I just die? What did I do to deserve this? Why does it have to be me? Why am I the only one suffering?


	7. Chapter 6

[Starting Author's Note]

For this chapter, I was inspired by lyrics from a song by a Seattle rapper. It was pretty dope so I tried to word things so it sounds similar to the lyrics but they don't sound as sick so... Yeah, here's this. Note: This is probably a pretty bad chapter but I promise that things will pick up in the next few chapters. Things definitely start to pick up in Chapter 9-10 in my opinion.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

[ Ending Author's Note ]

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| Ugly |

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The Lords bemoaned for my affliction. They didn't mean to put me through all of that ache. One lord kneeled on both knees and lifted me from the comfort of the chilly ground. Mumbling an apology, this lord ordered to clear the room to talk only between us.

"Precious Hinata, what you saw went longer than we had intended. And you began to see more than we could.. Can you tell me what you saw." A firm hand gripped onto me.

Trembling under the lord's grip I shied away, cradling myself once more. The piercing eyes of that man who jabbed me into tears returned to haunt me_. "Reveal me and you will suffer.." _ Not wanting to jeapordize my safety, I remained emotionless like a stone.

The lords sighed in disappointed. They knew better than to interrogate after something so horrific. This definitely took a turn for the worst on the poor girl. To ease her aching, they consoled her with commiseration.

"Ugly almost always look greater behind the dark. Maybe ven more alluring when you can see it from afar."

"I'm just tired...so sick and tired of these ugly people..whom masquerade around with the sun down.. They're always in the dark hurting themselves, eventually hurt everything around them with out even knowing" She hugged her knees to herself as she dipped her head down. Yes, too much grief compelled her fragile heart. The lords saw no end to her misery, leaving her with their last words before returning to their land of peace. The peace that Aeria had lost to the east.

"Hinata, listen to me well sweet child. For everything you have been through there are still the good in people, they are only hidden. Find them my dear for your heart seeks to restore Aeria. You cannot do this alone. I won't gurantee your safety but as long as you remain calm and view things in perspective, you have a chance at restoring what you held dear in your heart. Find the red-headed devil whom rules the East. If you understand him, he will understand you. He has far more power than the council 10-folds."

With that, they vanished in thin air. Red-headed devil? It couldn't be the one who pinned her down but by the tone of their firm voice, it was strictly business and everything fell into place. With that, her quest had been submitted. Her nightmarish quest already seemed to fail in her opinion. Silently, she shed tears once more, lacking the effort to chant 'It's okay'. Mainly because it simply wasn't. Their briefing was so vague, 'If you undertand him, he will understand you.' She didn't understand and believed that she never would.

"I don't want to confront him again... Once is enough. Once is all it takes to frighten me."

* * *

Sakura felt pity for the girl. She was already so dainty like a vase! Just how could she go through this? She'll be crushed the moment she steps onto the borders! Sakura snickered deviously, she probably couldn't even reach the borders. Sakura cast herself next to the weeping girl, her bright peridot eyes peering at her in mid-air.

She felt bad for the dark-haired crybaby. She was a lover of spring, the season when hearts grow numb. There's an abundant amount of stupidity when you're born with a large heart, filled with love. The poor girl was so tender and breakable to the scarring of the heart, to gashing cuts, to big wars with yourself. It was her against herself and the world yet she's forcing herself to live tough for the sake of others. All innocence, stripped from her.

"There..There..." Sakura soothed her with tiny strokes on Hinata's fingers but Hinata was too consumed in the break of her tears that she could mutter a proper thank you. She sat there, cradled like a rag doll.

Sakura zoomed through the cracks of doors to ask permission for Hinata getting a room to rest in. Tsunade peeked through the door to find the girl sleeping soundly on the kelp bed. Carefully, she picked her up and lead her up the winding stairs attached to a large tree bearing a free room. Ontop was a glass roof that also made up for windows with books along the walls. It was a comfy little room, there was a lack of privacy though. Her room was doorless. Hopefully, she wouldn't be picky.

Tsunade tucked her petite body in a similar kelp bed with a blanket of snow-fur. As quiet as a mouse, she left Hinata at her peace. The easy pace of her breathe being the only sound audible.

* * *

My body jolted upwards, my chest moving up and down due to heavy breathing. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and inhaled a deep breath to soothe my nerves. He was here again. Although unwelcomed, he visited me in my sleep. Looking around in the dimly lit room, unfamilar objects sat around. I was given a room, although it was comfortable it had not eased myself.

I wrapped the blanket around my body and stared at the moon which glowed among the stars. 3AM. The hour when feelings speak and all your inner demons burst.

My feelings were in turmoil but they asked such things as: Why do we lie? Why do we see point in solving things through lying Where do bad people go? Heaven or Hell?** Is there even such a thing?** What makes us think it's okay to hurt people? Why must we suffer to grow? Why does it feel like it's essential?

All these questions contemplated as the moon mocked me in it's stillness. How could the moon look down on us like that? How does it feel to look at the wickedness that lurks in the shadows? Sighing, I stalked the white orb dangling from the night sky. Deeper into the milky glow of the moon, I felt chilling eyes glaze over me which got my heart racing to no end. Twiddling with my fingers recklessly, I lay my head to relieve myself. Somewhere, somehow, Death called for me.

* * *

_Hinata..._

_He slumped against a tall tree, cross-armed. Licking his lips, the image of her ravishing self shot arrows in his heart. He couldn't take his mind off her after touching that smooth complexion. Such a shiny penny stuck in the sewers of the West. He will save his little bride from the dark. And she will be his._


End file.
